The invention relates to an apparatus for exercising and supporting an upper limb.
The exercising and supporting apparatus of the invention is intended for supporting an upper limb (shoulder) after surgery on the shoulder and for exercising the upper limb. After shoulder surgery, the entire upper limb needs to be supported over a relatively long period of time, depending on the kind of injury. It is awkward to keep an upper limb that has undergone surgery in the same position over a long period of time, and, the upper limb may shift from the desired position especially while the patient is sleeping. Consequently, the support means should retain the upper limb in position while the patient is sleeping. Current support means usually full-fill this function, however, the patient often tends to sleep on only one side, because the means hampers the patient's body movements, making his/her life more difficult. The shoulder is rehabilitated as the patient recovers. For the time being, there are no available support apparatuses allowing the patient to efficiently rehabilitate his upper limb on his own, given the consistent risk of damage to the shoulder joint muscles moving the upper limb that have been subjected to surgery.
In this context, an upper limb subjected to surgery implies an upper limb on the side of which the shoulder joint muscles, such as, for instance, the supraspinal muscle, has been subjected to surgery.